My Christmas of Miracles and Other Short Stories about Organ Transplant
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Adrien had known for years that he would need a heart transplant at some point in time. The goal, of course, was to keep his own heart functional as long as possible and delay transplant until it was absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, he completed the battery of physical and psychological tests that qualified him to be a transplant recipient. He was placed on a waiting list for a donor heart that would match his body size, blood type, and antibody level so he would not reject it. His own heart declined very rapidly during the wait and he was very near the end of his life when the call finally came that a match was available. By then, he was on some very powerful intravenous medications at home just to keep his heart beating.
When he came in for the transplant, his lungs and liver were both congested with blood because his heart could no longer pump enough blood out to his body to make room for the venous blood to return to his heart. Those factors, along with the fact that he had so much scar tissue from multiple childhood surgeries made him an extremely high risk. When those surgeries were done, no one really expected him to live to see adulthood and few heart transplants had been done on anyone in his situation. The goal at that point had simply been to keep him alive as long as possible. A heart transplant wasn’t even considered to be an option for him. Consequently, his original veins and arteries had been cut off so short that it would be nearly impossible to attach the new heart. This transplant center was one of the few that would even take a chance on a person in his situation. Because he was so young and had adhered strictly to all of the many rules, the decision was made to go ahead and attempt the transplant. The doctors were hopeful that his lungs and heart would recover if and when he had a strong, healthy heart.
His transplant went well and his new heart functioned perfectly. Within weeks, the pressure in his lungs decreased. His liver, however, did not recover. Years of congestive heart failure had caused cirrhosis of the liver. So, once a week he has to have ten liters of fluid removed from his belly via a very large needle. His belly gets so tight that he looks like he might explode and the extra weight hurts his back. Liquid seeps out of his skin continuously and his belly has actually ‘sprung a leak’ and has fluid running out of it in a constant stream. His skin is actually peeling off his hands and feet and he has stretch marks on his belly.
Then, due to all the toxins in his body that his liver can’t remove, his kidneys failed. So now, he is on dialysis three times a week. His doctors told him this week that his only hope is to have a simultaneous liver AND kidney transplant.
So, now, we are waiting for a donor who matches him who has a healthy liver and kidney. Meanwhile, every day is a challenge as his body becomes weaker and thinner. He has already has some severe internal bleeding due to his liver failure; it was a miracle that the doctors were able to stop it.
In all my years of nursing, I don’t think I have met anyone with such a positive attitude and the will to live as Adrien. My heart breaks for him and I worry about him even when I am at home.
So, I ask you to pray with me that the good Lord will find a donor for him, but if it is not to be, to take him quietly and quickly with as little suffering as possible.
My friends did just that. I know many prayers were said for Adrien as the prayer chain spread. For several weeks, not much changed. Then one day, I noticed that the leak in his belly had totally stopped. Gradually, he became slightly stronger. All he wanted at this point was to go home. His doctor decided to grant this wish although I wasn’t sure if he would recover or if he was going home to die.
His Dad kept us updated as he very slowly regained strength over the next year or so. Then, his kidneys slowly kicked in and started working. He tried going back to school but it was still too much for him. Although we nurses all longed to see him, he refused to come near the unit when he visited the doctor; there were too many bad memories there.
Several years later, I was at the transplant picnic and felt a tap on my shoulder. At first I couldn’t place the robust, healthy young man standing in front of me. Then I realized it was Adrien. He and I spent about an hour catching up on his life. His liver was still a problem but had regained some function. The doctors still wanted him to have a liver transplant but he wanted nothing to do with it.
The following year at the picnic, he proudly told me he no longer needed a liver transplant. He was back in school full time and expects to graduate in a year. Then, he hopes to go to grad school. He works in the evenings like most college students, to help pay his tuition.
Despite the fact that he had the best doctors and that they worked around the clock with Adrien’s myriad of medical issues, the odds were always against his recovery.
The fact that Adrien is alive and well today is truly a testimony of the power of prayer.
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About the Book
Ever since I first started working with organ transplant recipients and their support systems, donors, and donor families, I have been driven to educate the public about this miraculous process of giving life from one person to another. Many myths abound in the community about organ donation and transplantation that prevent people from committing to organ donation. For years, I have searched for ways to provide accurate information to the public to help them better understand the process of organ donation and transplantation.
Each state has an organ-procurement organization that trains volunteers, many of them organ recipients, people waiting for a transplant, and donor families, to speak to schools and organizations, as well as providing booths at fairs, churches, etc. Even so, thousands of potential recipients die every year because there are not enough donors.
When I became aware of Inspiring Voices, I realized that I already had written about several patients who had deeply touched me. It occurred to me that by making their journeys available in book form, many more people could be reached. My Christmas of Miracles and Other Short Stories about Organ Transplant was written to bring their stories to life.
About the Author
MARY grew up in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania. She obtained her nursing education at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and her master’s in nursing at Indiana University. She has worked with organ-transplant recipients and their families for over fifteen years. She resides with her husband, Marvin, in Indianapolis.